Take a breath as you begin to read this article. Take another breath, but this time take a deeper breath. Can you feel your lungs expand? That is good; do it one more time. Now, how did that make you feel? I hope you realized that because you were able to do that, you have something to be thankful for during this Thanksgiving holiday. Many of us struggle to recognize the things we should be grateful for, and we sometimes overlook the basic elements of life, such as the fact that if you are breathing that means you are alive and that is a good thing. Life should never be taken for granted, because it is not in our hands.

"For the life of every living thing is in His hand, and the breath of every human being." (Job 12:10)

So now that you realize that there are always things we take for granted that we should be thankful for, what are some of the more obvious things you would like to recognize and be thankful for?

I think of my spouse, Catherine, who has been such an inspiration in my life that I know she was sent directly to me from God. How can I know that, you ask? Because the truest sense that God has sent you something or someone in your life is how that object or person affects your relationship with Him. I had been in a couple of relationships prior to meeting my wife, but none sparked a burning desire to seek the Lord. Yet when I met Catherine, something about her made me realize, deep in the core of my heart, that I would never be able to love her as she deserves unless I loved God first. Seeking after God first is a biblical principle that leads to a lasting, loving relationship.

"But seek first his kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)

I knew this principle to be true, the more I sought after God, with all my heart. The more I sought Him, the deeper and more intimate my relationship with Catherine became. We grew closer by the day, developing a bond that would lead to marriage and currently six joyful years of marriage. We have had our disagreements and it hasn't always been easy, but knowing that God is at the center of our marriage gives us a peace that can ride out any marital storm. Do you have that peace in your relationships? I pray to God that you do, because without it relationships just aren't all that they can be; in fact, they are nothing without God.

Therefore, if you are struggling in a relationship, do not pour more of your heart into the relationship. Pour your heart into knowing God, and He will strengthen your relationship. I do not take my relationship with Catherine for granted; we still go through periods of transition, and as we grow, our relationship has to adjust. But with God at the center, we will grow stronger as we grow older together.

Hence when I think about this holiday season, all I have to do is think about my wife and I have all the reasons I need to be thankful. I know there is a God in heaven who sent me my most two precious gifts, His son Jesus Christ and His daughter through redemption Catherine.

Thank you, my heavenly Father.

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Gio Marin is the pastor of the College Station and Waller Seventh-day Adventist Church in the state of Texas. He is currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Send him an email at {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@ aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Gio Marin.